Released : 2011
Lable : Stormy Monday Records
01 - Give It Up Or Let Me Go
02 - T.-Bone Shuffle
03 - Big Kat Boogie
04 - Exactly Like You
05 - Jambalaya
06 - Louisiana 1927
07 - Hold It Right There
08 - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
09 - I Can't Make You Love Me
10 - Let The Back Door Hit You
11 - Why You So Mean To Me
The style might have been en vogue back in 1940, somewhere in the Mississippi delta where cotton fields abounded, but electrical outlets and amplified guitars were few and far between. But it never slipped into complete oblivion, since in the late Sixties, beside the old Country Blues guard, quite a number of blues acts rooted in the folk tradition took up the style
But the Mad Dawgs are about something else: Completely aware that between them and archaic Southern blues there existed a steady stream of excellent electric guitarists, that soul music, funk, jazz and rock'n'roll each had their heyday, they're breathing fresh air into the old-fashioned instruments. And they're playing whatever strikes their fancy: apart from shuffle and boogie standards, with Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby and Exactly Like You they picked out two gems from the swing and Harlem Jive repertoire, Louisiana 1927 and I Can't Make You Love Me are classic examples of the gospel-infused rock ballad, and Jabalaya and Why You So Mean To Me amply testify that the band's got quite a knack for Cajun and Southern Funk grooves as well
The Mad Dawgs owe their band name to their quadruped family members: there's a whopping four dogs of all shapes and sizes sharing the lives of the five musicians. That they're doing their best to keep their masters and mistresses from spending too much time in the rehearsal room is out of the question. That may not be the best thing for intricate arrangements, but spontaneity is guaranteed. And seasoned blueswomen and bluesmen – for that's what all five of them are – couldn't care less.
Personnel
Jan Hirte (vocals, acoustic guitar)
Kat Baloun (vocals, harp)
Amy Zapf (vocals, mandolin, accordion, piano)
Bernd Kuchenbecker (vocals, acoustic bass)
Marcel Van Cleef (drums, percussion).
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